A lavish hilltop resort located on one of San Antonio’s highest points offers an incredible view of the city and the Texas hill country, while providing a tranquil place for a get-way. The Westin La Cantera Resort is a great destination for your trip to San Antonio. It’s only 15 minutes from the downtown area and River Walk. Although there is so much to do at the resort that your vacation could easily be complete without every leaving the grounds. From golf to spa to shopping, La Cantera has it all.

After a four-day visit to the resort, I left thinking about a return trip. Reasons you will want to return include the amazing view, the luxurious accommodations and all that is offered at the resort, as well as the friendly and hospitable staff.

The resort was designed in “Texas Colonial” style to resemble King Ranch, which was at one time the largest ranch in Texas. The design of the resort incorporates many of the traditions, culture and legends of Texas. Visitors will find European influences in the round castle-like towers at the resort and Spanish Mission influence in the iron metalwork and heavy wooden doors.

Be sure to schedule at least one visit to the resort’s wonderful spa, Castle Rock Health Club and Spa. After slipping into a warm robe, your visit will begin in the tranquility room where you can relax on cozy sofas or chairs and enjoy hot tea.

Matt was my massage therapist and he was simply wonderful. I chose the 90-minute la stone therapy. Heated smooth basalt stones were used to melt away muscle tension and stimulate energy.

Extra touches including wrapping my feet in warm towels and massaging my face, forehead, scalp and neck. Matt finds your most tense area and concentrates on it. For me, it was tense shoulders and he soon had them feeling much better.

You can reconnect with nature at the Westin La Cantera along the nature trail. The mile-long nature trial will give you a great view of rock formations and plant life that winds around the resort.

Plenty of family activities are offered at the resort with something for everyone. Arts and crafts, movie night, nature trail adventure, pint size painting and smores made at the fire pit near the pool are among the fun activities to choose from.

Other reasons to visit the resort include two championship 18-hole golf courses, six pools with a waterfall and slide, tennis courts, a health club and kids and teen activities. A shuttle service is offered to the nearby shopping center and to Six Flags.

As for dining at the resort, Francesca’s at Sunset featuring South Texas cuisine with a Southwestern flair is a great choice. We ended our stay with a great four-course meal. We started off with quail eggs and tomato caprese. Next up was a sweetly-chilled Blue Crab Pagne. For my entrée, I chose steamed Atlantic Salmon with beet and asparagus and potato salad. For dessert, the Dulcenea was a chocolate delight. This amazing meal was a great way to end our wonderful visit to San Antonio.

All lodging pricing information, including packages and specials, can be found at the resort website at www.westinlacantera.com. For more information, call 1-210-558-2200.

AREA ATTRACTIONS

A visit to San Antonio is not complete without a visit to the Alamo and the River Walk and sampling some of the wonderful Tex Mex food that the area is known for.
The Alamo, which was first a Spanish mission and later used by the military for barracks and as a battlefield, is located in downtown near many area attractions. It’s quite unassuming when you first walk up but it is filled with history and intricate architecture. A diorama inside lists the names of those who lost their lives at the Alamo.

Admission is free at the Alamo and three million people a year visit. For more information, go to www.TheAlamo.org.

Rio San Antonio Cruises offers cruises along the River Walk in the downtown area. Guides offer entertaining narrative and history of San Antonio.

The newly-expanded River Walk has international art on display beneath the bridges and overpasses along the route. Among the artwork is a fish display by Donald Lipski of Philadelphia. A school of fish is suspended underneath the Camden Street overpass. The fiberglass sculptures are up to seven feet long.

Cruises are 35 to 40 minutes long and cover two and a half miles of the River Walk. The tickets are $8.25 general admission; $2 for children ages 1 to 5; and $6 for senior citizens age 60 and older and military. The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, go to www.RioSanAntonio.com.

CULINARY DELIGHT

We had a delightful meal at Boudro’s, located along the River Walk. Guacamole is made tableside and it is simply wonderful. It is prepared with fresh avocado, roasted tomato, Serrano pepper, cilantro and fresh lime and orange juices. For my entrée, I had Blue Crab Tostada, which is Gulf Coast seafood in a corn tortilla shell with tomato, avocado and melted jack cheese. For dessert, be sure to try the lime chess pie with a butter pastry crust.

Another night we had a wonderful leisurely meal at Aldaco’s, which features Mexican cuisine. I had chile relleno with cilantro and it was simply amazing. A Poblano pepper was filled with pulled chicken, jack cheese, white confetti rice and their signature ensalada tres marias. There are two locations in San Antonio, and we chose the newest one at 20079 Stone Oak Parkway. Outside dining is available and it provides a wonderful view of the countryside.

Angela Gary is an editor with MainStreet Newspapers Inc. She can be reached at AngieEditor@aol.com.

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